RIO DE JANEIRO – Yan Cabral bounced back from his first professional loss in a dominant performance over Naoyuki Kotani.

Cabral (12-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) repeatedly tossed Kotani (33-12-7 MMA, 0-2 UFC) to the mat before taking his back and sinking in a fight-ending rear-naked choke to secure his second UFC win.

The lightweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC 179 event at Maracanazinho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of the main card on pay-per-view.

The fight’s official end came at the 3:06 mark of the second, which followed a lackluster first round in which both fighters held top position and failed to put together much offense.

Cabral, a member of the famed Nova Uniao camp, did manage to land a strike that opened a cut on Kotani’s head, but it was his jiu-jitsu that paid the biggest dividends. Kotani could do little to escape when his back was taken, and after a short stint of hand fighting, his neck was exposed.

“It was a great fight,” Cabral said. “I felt the pressure a little bit at the beginning but got the submission, the first of many here. Fighting in Rio de Janeiro is incredible, especially because my daughter was born just a month ago. This win is for her and for my wife.”

Kotani remains winless in the UFC after a second-round TKO loss to Norman Park in July, while Cabral, who fought for the first time at 155 pounds, gets back to the winner’s column after a decision loss in May against Zak Cummings.